EDITORIAL
Life saving early and immediate aspirin: too little too late
1 Pre-hospital, Emergency & Cardiovascular Care Applied Research Group, Coventry University, Coventry, UK
2 College of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
3 Welsh Aspirin Group, Cardiff, UK
Correspondence to:
Professor Malcolm Woollard, Pre-hospital, Emergency & Cardiovascular Care Applied Research Group, Coventry University, Room 304, Richard Crossman Building, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB, UK; Malcolm.woollard@coventry.ac.uk
Keywords: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, aspirin, emergencies, emergency medical services
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The first randomised controlled trial of aspirin in the prevention of vascular events was conducted in South Wales in 1974.1 Since then overviews of numerous trials2 3 have established aspirin, used in cardiovascular disease, as the most thoroughly tested and the most highly cost effective drug available in clinical practice. Aspirin is now a standard part of both the early and the long term management of coronary thrombosis. Unfortunately, there is evidence that within Wales only about half such patients are actually taking this drug.4 Other research has identified that poor compliance is not confined to Wales. A number of doctors taking part in the US Physicians Health Study admitted that they had taken aspirin on less than half the study days.5
The administration of aspirin by a doctor or paramedic on first contact with a patient who has chest pain and is judged to possibly have had a myocardial infarction
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